U.S. waters cover 3.4 million square nautical miles, including a sea floor that is constantly changing due to storms, erosion, and development. To keep the nation's suite of over a thousand nautical charts up to date, the Office of Coast Survey annually plans hydrographic survey projects to measure water depths and identify new navigational hazards. Survey planners consider requests by marine pilots, port authorities, the U.S. Coast Guard, the boating community, and others when setting the year's schedule. This article presents planned 2016 survey projects.

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